Day at the Museum

Day at the Museum. Monday. Got the bike returned to Alexandria, picked up Kathy from work and we headed out for an afternoon of art gawking. Smithsonian can be daunting, the most difficult part finding a place to store your vehicle while at it. Please be advised folks that the traffic cops in DC take no prisoners, if you are ten seconds tardy, a dime short or an inch over the line, it is a $25 fine. The parking spots to traffic enforcement ratio is 1-100 and they are big on entrapment. The signs, rules, times, places and overall operation is a farce of spatiotemporal chaos.

The Ginsburg photos were terrific, as was Rodin, and Edvard Munch. There is so much to see here, so many inspiriting and educational displays that you need a nap in between to digest all the color, texture, style, history and fantasy. And then there were dinosaurs and whales, the Hope diamond and sparkling exotic gems that absolutely proved that there is no finer artist anywhere than Mother Nature herself. And all this free for the gawking.

We then had an incredible dinner at a cool uptown Mediterranean joint called Zaytinya . Kathy knew the talented waiter so we decided to allow him to make the menu calls, putting all faith in his inside knowledge of the menu, seasonal offerings and kitchen secrets du jour. A good call. So many flavors, fine service and a glass of Tempranillo that warmed both heart and soul. Finished off with six different scoops of sorbet and ice cream and a Turkish coffee. Nice.

0400 wake up call, hour drive into Virginia and here I sit at Dulles awaiting Jet Blue flight 1039 back to JFK where I know there is free wifi and coffee waiting. We touch down in Seattle at 2 so I will for once, get some shut eye before our 0530 spin session in the space formerly known as the House of Pain.

In case you are wondering, we have changed the name to the House of Mirth as a result of our exercise enlightenment that suffering and over the top maximal effort is necessary for dramatic fitness improvements. HoP is now HoM. All it took was seven years of practice to see that work is love.

Pix of the day. Art and art as food. RCVman from JFK, out for today.